jtara - 7:39 pm on Oct 12, 2007 (gmt 0)

<Conumdrum extirpated>

The subject of log snooping has been beaten to death here in the past, with no conclusive evidence on either side.

I think the safest way to check domains is with nslookup. Do it on your own Linux system - not on an "nslookup" website. (There is at least one very nice commercial tool for Windows, and I presume free/open source ones as well.) Don't check at a registrar's site - especially a sleazy one.

By doing it this way, you minimize your risk. Somebody would have to have their paws in pretty deep in high places to snarf your inquiry. And they'd be basing any decision to taste on some pretty tenuous evidence - your inquiry wouldn't look any different from somebody just typing-in the name of a non-existent domain name into a browser. But DON'T just type it into a browser, because a negative might simply mean that there is no web site at the domain's base name - but it could still be registered.

By using a registrar's look-up function prior to registration, you are just begging them to look over your shoulder.

That said, I trust my registrar, use their look-up, and have never had any such problem. If you hang out in shadier places, better to use nslookup.

[edited by: Webwork at 5:57 pm (utc) on Oct. 13, 2007]
[edit reason] Urge to solve riddle? Argh. ;-P [/edit]